Maddie Lilly became fascinated with science in the 7th grade. Her teacher, Ellen Peterson, had the class raise and release monarch butterflies.
The following year, Lilly had Peterson as her technology teacher. From then on, Lilly said she was enamored with STEM related subjects.
Now a sophomore at Jamestown High School, she is hoping to share that passion with other students with Williamsburg STEM Night, an online event sponsored by the nonprofit STEM Without Boundaries.
“I applied to start a chapter in Williamsburg earlier this year, so this is the first time that [Williamsburg STEM Night] is happening,” Lilly said. “But we hope it will be an annual thing.”
The Williamsburg STEM Without Boundaries chapter is also the first one in Virginia, thanks to Lilly. Four other JHS sophomores are also on the leadership team with Lilly as the chapter president.
The Williamsburg STEM Night will cover topics like chemical engineering, 3D printing, submarines, a presentation on theme park engineering, and information about the international space station.
“We have a ton of different organizations presenting. We have it set up in sessions so people can choose which organization they want to see present during each session,” Lilly said.
The organizations presenting include the University of Virginia Children’s Engineering Initiative, the New York Academy of Science, National Girls Collaborative Project, and even NASA Langley.
Lilly’s former teacher and mentor, Peterson, will also be giving a presentation on 3D printing.
Participating organizations will also talk about opportunities in STEM for youths.
Williamsburg STEM Night is Dec. 17 from 6 to 8 p.m. on Zoom. Those interested can register for free by clicking here. Any questions can be directed to Lilly at maddielilly375@gmail.com.
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